Phillips 66 Volunteer Day at the Exploration Garden

It seems like yesterday that the Exploration Garden at the Swansea Clinton Hills Conservation Park was just a site design on a piece of paper. This year, we added the Rain Drop’s Journey thanks to a generous donation from Phillips 66. After contractors installed the dry creek bed, flat rock beach, and many other features, employees from Phillips 66 contributed additional help to keep the project moving forward.

On April 20, 2023, Phillips 66 volunteers gathered to take on an ambitious amount of work. The primary task was to plant 1,300 plants along the Rain Drop’s Journey and at various locations throughout the Exploration Garden. Planting holes were chiseled into the unseasonably hard soil, trays of plants were relocated to their forever homes, and all plants were treated to a drink of water. The crew worked diligently through the morning hours and finished up the planting shortly after lunch.

The high from this mighty accomplishment cascaded into the completion of several other small projects. The group split into smaller crews and installed interpretive signs, weeded and mulched demonstration gardens, and replaced tree cages around demonstration trees. In the end, 16 volunteers contributed 108 hours of volunteer work. Additionally, HLC volunteers joined in on the fun and provided an additional 26 hours of work during the event.

The definition of community can take on many meanings depending on the context but is generally tied to a group of people living in the same place. However, we often forget important players in the community, such as wonderful businesses like Phillips 66. The work completed during a single day at the Exploration Garden shows how businesses can give back and make our region better.